Multiple mail piece assembly and wrapping system

ABSTRACT

A computer controlled mail piece assembly and wrapping system discloses a process for culling candidate mail pieces from bulk mail pieces, a mail piece feeder, a mail piece reader coupled to the feeder that identifies suitable candidate mail pieces, a collator coupled to the feeder for collating multiple identified mail pieces, a buffer coupled to the collator for regulating the delivery rate of the multiple mail pieces exiting to a wrap inserter, a wrap inserter coupled to the buffer for wrapping mail pieces and selected inserts into a mailing container, a printer interfaced with the wrap inserter for printing information onto the mailing container; an outstacker coupled to the wrap inserter for transferring envelope wrapped mail pieces and selected inserts to a desired location, and a computer with suitable programming for operating the system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a nonprovisional of U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 61/632,766 filed on Jan. 30, 2012, incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

NOTICE OF MATERIAL SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

A portion of the material in this patent document is subject tocopyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States andof other countries. The owner of the copyright rights has no objectionto the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or thepatent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent andTrademark Office publicly available file or records, but otherwisereserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The copyright owner does nothereby waive any of its rights to have this patent document maintainedin secrecy, including without limitation its rights pursuant to 37C.F.R. § 1.14.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The subject invention pertains generally to a system and method ofoperation for rapidly assembling into a single envelope wrapper multiplemail pieces that include letters/documents and selected inserts that aredirected to a recipient.

2. Description of Related Art

Various mailing systems are utilized for mail items to recipients,however, no systems are currently available that rapidly assemblemultiple mail piece letters/documents with selected inserts into oneenvelope that is addressed to a single recipient.

Further, for individuals and businesses processing a considerablequantity of mail, postal agencies, like the United States Postal Service(USPS), often have available various discount direct mailing rates.Taking advantage of these lower rates is often the difference between aprofitable and a non-profitable enterprise. However, to benefit fromthese discount mailing rates several stiff hurdles exist. Hopefully, tomaximize the efficiency of an operation and to lower costs, the postalagency attaches rigorous rules and regulations. Unless these rules areas highly automated and as rapid as the subject invention, they requirea substantial loss of time in sending the mail out the door of thebusiness and into the hands of the postal agency. Postal discount ratequalification rules present a gradient in benefits. For example, theUSPS has “traying rules” which set the requirements for the type of mailthat is placed in a standard mailing tray. Such considerations asgrouping zip codes within a tray, sequencing zip codes, listing carrierroutes, filling a mailing tray to its total thickness or height andweight limits, and the like all serve to build additional postaldiscounts. The subject computer directed system serves to maximize thepostal discount by overseeing the mailing process within the frameworkof the postal rules and by grouping multiple mail pieces (including aplurality of letters/documents and desired inserts) into a singleenvelope wrapper that is addressed to a recipient.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,665 is an earlier system utilized by the subjectApplicant to maximize mailing cost savings by automating the mailingsystem in general. For multiple letters/documents and selected insertsbeing mailed to the same recipient, the subject system is vastly moreefficient than the previous approach in which multiple letters/documentsand selected inserts were sent in more than one envelope.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a computer controlledsystem, apparatus, and method for placing within one mailing containermultiple mail pieces all being sent to the same address.

Another object of the present invention is to furnish a computercontrolled system, apparatus, and method for isolating a plurality ofmail pieces all being sent to the same address and placing within onemailing container the multiple mail pieces to that address.

A further object of the present invention is to supply a computercontrolled system, apparatus, and method for isolating a plurality ofmail pieces all being sent to the same address and placing within oneenvelope/wrapper multiple mail pieces to that address.

Still another object of the present invention is to disclose a computercontrolled system, apparatus, and method for isolating and sorting aplurality of candidate mail pieces from a general pool of mail pieces inwhich each group of candidate mail pieces is being sent to the sameaddress and placing within one envelope/wrapper all like-addressed mailpieces.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to describe a computercontrolled system, apparatus, and method for isolating and sorting aplurality of candidate mail pieces from a general pool of mail pieces,feeding and singulating each candidate mail piece into a reader foridentification, collating each identified mail piece going to the samemailing address into a pack, and packaging into a mailing container thepack of mail pieces being sent to the same address.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to relate acomputer controlled system, apparatus, and method for isolating andsorting a plurality of candidate mail pieces from a general pool of mailpieces, feeding and singulating each candidate mail piece into a readerfor identification, collating each identified mail piece going to thesame mailing address into a pack, buffering the transfer oflike-addressed packs of mail pieces into a subsequent insertion andcontainerizing means that adds desired inserts to each pack and packagesinto a mailing container the pack of mail pieces and desired insertsbeing sent to the same address.

An additional object of the present invention is to relate a computercontrolled system, apparatus, and method for isolating and sorting aplurality of candidate mail pieces from a general pool of mail pieces,feeding and singulating each candidate mail piece into a reader foridentification, collating each identified mail piece going to the samemailing address into a pack, buffering the transfer of like-addressedpacks of mail pieces into a subsequent insertion and wrapping means thatadds desired inserts to each pack and wraps each pack and desiredinserts in a mailing wrapper that has a printed address, and anoutstacker that delivers the wrapped stack and desired inserts to asubsequent processing station for mailing.

Disclosed generally is a mail piece assembly and containerizing systemfor mailing in a single envelope/wrapper a plurality of mail piecesbeing mailed to the same recipient address. The subject inventioncomprises: means for culling mail for candidate mail pieces for thesubject system; means for feeding candidate mail pieces into the system;means for reading identifying indicia on the candidate mail piecescoupled to the feeder, wherein the reading produces identified mailpieces; means for collating a plurality of identified mail pieces intomailing groups coupled to the reader, wherein each mailing groupcontains mail pieces going to the same recipient address; preferablymeans for buffering the flow rate of the mailing groups beingtransferred from the collator means to a subsequentcontainerizer/envelope/wrap inserter means; thecontainerizer/envelope/wrap inserter means preferably coupled to thebuffer, wherein the containerizer/envelope/wrap inserter means selectsdesired inserts, if any, for each mailing group and containerizes in anenvelope or wrapper each mailing group with desired inserts; preferablymeans for printing information on the envelope/wrapper may be includedif an address windowed envelope is not utilized, wherein the preferredprinting means is interfaced with the envelope/wrap inserter; preferablymeans for outstacking each envelope/wrapper packaged mailing group anddesired inserts to a selected location, wherein the outstacking means iscoupled to the containerizer/envelope/wrap inserter; and computercontrol means interfaced with the various system components foroverseeing and controlling the operation of the system.

More specifically, the subject invention comprises a mail piece assemblyand wrapping system for mailing in a single mailing container aplurality of mail pieces and selected inserts being mailed to a samerecipient address. The subject system comprises: means for culling andsorting candidate mail pieces from a pool of general mail pieces; afeeder/singulator for delivering singulated candidate mail pieces to anindicia reader; the indicia reader coupled to the feeder/singulator,wherein identifying indicia on each candidate mail piece is read therebyproducing identified mail pieces; a collator coupled to the reader forcollating a plurality of the identified mail pieces going to the samerecipient address into a mailing pack; a mailing pack buffer locatedbetween the collator and a wrap inserter for regulating a transfer speedof collated packs of identified mail pieces to an operational speed ofthe wrap inserter; the wrap inserter, wherein the wrap insertercomprises: means for packaging each mailing pack and desired insertsinto an addressed mailing wrapper; and means for selecting the desiredinserts for inclusion with each mailing pack into each addressed mailingwrapper; a printer for printing each addressed mailing wrapper couple tothe wrap inserter; an outstacker for transferring the wrapped andaddressed mailing pack and desired inserts to a selected location forfurther processing; and a computer controller with programminginterfaced with the system for overseeing the operation of the system.Preferably, the computer controller comprises several interactingcomputers: a mailing computer; a collating computer; a bufferingcomputer; a printing computer; and a finishing computer.

Further objects and aspects of the invention will be brought out in thefollowing portions of the specification, wherein the detaileddescription is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodimentsof the invention without placing limitations thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to thefollowing drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIG. 1 shows the overall perspective scheme of the subject invention.

FIG. 2A is the first/top portion of a flow diagram showing the initialculling/sorting process that separates and sorts a general population ofmail pieces into candidate and non-candidate mail pieces with thecandidate mail pieces being forwarded to a feeder/singulator of thesubject invention.

FIG. 2B is the second/lower portion of the flow diagram described forFIG. 2A immediately above.

FIG. 3A shows a perspective view of the feeder/singulator utilized withthe subject invention.

FIG. 3B shows an operational diagram of the subject feeder/singulator.

FIG. 4A shows a perspective view of the reader employed with the subjectinvention.

FIG. 4B shows an operational diagram of the subject reader.

FIG. 5A shows a perspective view of the collator used with the subjectinvention in which paired transferring belts are mounted in a pluralityof linkable units or modules to form the utilized collator.

FIG. 5B shows a front view of a single collator unit/module.

FIG. 5C shows a front view of two complete collator units/modules thatare sandwiched between two partial collator units/modules.

FIG. 5D shows an operational diagram of the subject collator withidentified mail pieces being moved between paired belts and diverted toform individual mail packs, with each mail pack going to the samerecipient address.

FIG. 6A shows a perspective view of a mail piece pack buffer disclosedfor use with the subject invention in which each formed mail pack'stransfer speed is adjusted to match the operational speed of asubsequent containerizer, wherein paired transferring belts are mountedin a plurality of linkable units or modules to form the employed buffer.

FIG. 6B shows a front view of one unit/module of the subject buffersandwiched between two partial units/modules.

FIG. 6C shows a perspective view of one unit/module of the subjectbuffer sandwiched between two partial units/modules.

FIG. 6D shows a close-up perspective view of the mail piece pack bufferdisclosed for use with the subject invention in which each formed mailpack's transfer speed is adjusted to match the operational speed of thesubsequent containerizer, wherein paired transferring belts are mountedin a plurality of linkable units or modules to form the employed buffer.

FIG. 6E illustrates what may occur when the subject system is making aplurality of mail piece packs and shows what that average rate mightlook like for a simulated batch of 300 packs containing between two andfive mail pieces (letters, billing statements, and the like) each,wherein the subject buffer assists in smoothing out the mail packdelivery rate between the collator and the containerizer.

FIG. 6F shows an operational diagram of the subject buffer transferringmail packs between paired belts from the collator to the subsequentcontainerizer.

FIG. 7A shows a perspective view of the envelope/address printerutilized with the subject invention.

FIG. 7B shows a perspective view of the subject printer in which theprint heads have been removed to show the vacuum platen that stabilizesthe paper region of the web that is printed on by the printing heads.

FIG. 7C shows a close-up perspective view (see FIG. 7B for a dashed boxthat is enlarged in this view) of the subject printer in which the printheads have been removed to show the vacuum platen that stabilizes thepaper region of the web that is printed on by the printing heads.

FIG. 7D shows a schematic diagram of the subject printer with anassociated roll of web paper and entry and exit web-transfer rollers.

FIG. 8A shows a perspective view of the containerizer employed with thesubject invention.

FIG. 8B shows an operational diagram for the subject containerizer whenthe containerizer is functioning as a wrap inserter in which bothdesired inserts are selected for inclusion into each mail pack and thecombined mail pack with desired inserts is wrapped in an addressed mailwrapper.

FIG. 9A shows an outstacker employed with the subject invention thataccepts containerized mail packages from the containerizer.

FIG. 9B shows an operational diagram of an outstacker used with thesubject invention.

FIG. 10A shows upper half of the overall controller scheme flow diagramfor the various programmed computers interfaced with and controlling thesubject system.

FIG. 10B shows the lower half of the overall controller scheme flowdiagram for the various programmed computers interfaced with andcontrolling the subject system.

FIG. 11A shows the upper half of the controller scheme flow diagram forthe system's mailing computer.

FIG. 11B shows the lower half of the controller scheme flow diagram forthe system's mailing computer.

FIG. 12A shows the upper half of the controller scheme flow diagram forthe system's finishing computer.

FIG. 12B shows the lower half of the controller scheme flow diagram forthe system's finishing computer.

FIG. 13A shows the upper half of the controller scheme flow diagram forthe system's printing computer.

FIG. 13B shows the lower half of the controller scheme flow diagram forthe system's printing computer.

FIG. 14A shows the upper half of the controller scheme flow diagram forthe system's buffering computer.

FIG. 14B shows the lower half of the controller scheme flow diagram forthe system's buffering computer.

FIG. 15A shows the upper half of the controller scheme flow diagram forthe system's collating computer.

FIG. 15B shows the lower half of the controller scheme flow diagram forthe system's collating computer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Overview

Generally, the purpose of the subject invention “StatementPack™” systemis to place multiple United States Postal Service (USPS) compliant mailpieces, all destined for the same U.S. mailbox, along with any desiredinserts, into a single mailing container/envelope/wrapper, such that theresulting package is also fully USPS compliant and completely legal tomail by itself. The amount of postage required to mail the subjectStatementPack™ is always less than the sum of the postage that wouldhave been required to mail the internal mail pieces and desired insertsindividually. The USPS's costs are lowered because they only have toprocess one mail piece instead of many. For the recipient, the same mailpieces end up in the same mailbox on the same day, except they have aStatementPack™ envelope wrapped around them. Again, in order for thesubject StatementPack™ service/system to be commercially viable, thecost of the assembly process must be lower than the postage savings.

Theory of Operation

The system 1 generally depicted in FIG. 1 , and more specifically inFIGS. 2A through FIG. 15B, achieves the purpose of rapidly assemblingand containerizing/packaging/enveloping/wrapping a plurality of mailitems and desired inserts into one mail container/envelope/wrapper thatis being mailed to a single address, by being highly automated andoperating at high speed. “Candidate” mail pieces, culled and sortedeither physically or electronically from a quantity of USPS compliantmail pieces by an upstream culling and sorting process 2, are loaded byan operator onto the feeder/singulator 10 at the upper left in FIG. 1 .Preferably, the mail pieces then flow through the reader 15, collator20, buffer 25, and containerizer/wrap inserter 30 sections of themachine, during which time they are grouped together andcontainerized/wrapped inside an envelopes that has the recipient'saddress either showing through a window or printed on the envelope orwrapper by the printer 40. Preferably, completed StatementPacks™containing mail pieces and desired inserts are collected at theoutstacker 45 and transferred by an operator to a downstream process formailing.

Upstream Culling Process

FIG. 1 notes the culling and sorting process 2 that comes before thefeeder/singulator 10 in the subject invention (FIGS. 2A and 2B show theprogramming details for the culling and sorting process and arediscussed below). All “candidate” mail pieces destined for the sameStatementPack™ must be adjacent to each other, so that they exit thefeeder 10 one after another, with no other StatementPack™ candidates inbetween. Primary responsibility for meeting this constraint belongs toan upstream culling process. This culling process 2 may be accomplishedeither manually or electronically. The electronic culling method iscurrently being utilized with the subject invention. A mailidentification process records exactly what mail will be containedwithin any future mailing tray and is employed to identify mailpieces/documents in a job, prior to their actual printing and mailing,that meet the necessary qualifications to be designated asStatementPack™ candidates. These documents meet certain customer-agreedcriteria such as the same destination address and recipient last name.Other criteria are possible and considered within the realm of thisdisclosure, but the documents must include the same destination address.At this point, the notification messages are transmitted, providing theStatementPack™ machine with the information it will need to process thedocuments when they arrive at a future time.

Once the document candidates are identified all the documents in the jobare then electronically sorted and assigned to containers such that whenthe job is produced the candidates are separated from the rest of themail and collected into their own container(s) such that they meet theadjacency criteria. These special containers are then routed to thesubject StatementPack™ system/machine.

The manual means by which document candidates are culled may also beutilized with the subject system. The culled candidates are sorted intotheir own containers and a printed version of the work order messages isprovided so that operators can assemble the StatementPacks™ by hand.Currently, the electronic culling process is preferred.

In a production version of the manual culling process, an electronicpre-notification is received in the associated controller for alldocuments directed toward the subject system and the processpre-identifies those documents meeting the necessary criteria andreserves space to collect them when they arrive. This space is calledthe StatementPack™ Candidate Bin. When candidate documents flow into aletter sorter, a sorter control tests one further criterion, which is:can the candidates be placed into the Candidate Bin in perfectsuccession, so that they meet the adjacency criteria? If so, that iswhat happens and if not, perhaps because two potential candidates arewidely separated from each other with many other candidates, destinedfor different recipient addresses, in between, then those candidates arerejected and go to their original destination bins for delivery byordinary means.

Candidates collected successfully into StatementPack™ Candidate Binscause a message to be generated providing the subject StatementPack™system/machine with the information it will need to process thedocuments when they arrive at a future time. The documents are thencollected carefully, so that the adjacency criteria remain intact, intospecial containers, which are then routed to the subject StatementPack™system/machine.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a flow diagram of the culling and sortingprocess 2 of the subject invention (FIG. 2A is the upper half of theflow diagram and FIG. 2B is the lower half of the flow diagram). Anysize batch of same-day mail pieces are examined, either physically orelectronically 3. This examination process 3 is associated with a localmail piece database 4. The examination results in the same-day mailpieces being divided into “candidate” and “non-candidate” mail pieces 5.The candidate mail pieces are sorted to conform to adjacency requirement6 according to the information stored in the local mail piece database4. The non-candidate mail pieces are forwarded to a normal processingroute 7 that is notified that these non-candidates will be coming intothe normal processing pathway. The sorted candidate mail pieces arediverted 8 for StatementPack™ processing. The associated computercontrollers (further discussed below) and any other auxiliary processesare notified that the culling and sorting process 2 has occurred. Theculling and sorting process 2 continues to run until complete and theprocess is halted 9.

Feeder/Singulator

The feeder/singulator 10 (shown in detail in FIGS. 3A and 3B) and anassociated computer 11 (see FIG. 1 ) is typical of those used for foldedmail sortation (i.e. it is designed to handle mail of various sizes andthicknesses), provided they fall within USPS constraints for foldedmail. The operator O loads mail pieces onto the deck of the feeder 10 ina manner not unlike ordinary mail sortation, in this case adding newmail at the right end of the feeder hopper, with the right side of thehopper contents being held upright by a movable fence. The operator Oorients the mail pieces such that the send addresses are upright andfacing toward the operator's O right. This ensures the addresses will bepresented properly to the camera in the downstream reader section 15.The feeder 10 picks individual mail pieces from the left end of thehopper. The deck of the feeder 10 moves the hopper contents graduallyfrom right to left, toward the picking station, so that singulated mailpieces always exit the feeder 10 from the same position. The feeder 10sends mail pieces toward the reader section 15 at a typical speed of 150inches per second and a typical rate approaching 40,000 pieces per hour.

A unique constraint solely relevant to StatementPack™ production is therule of adjacency (see culling and sorting process 2 described above).Again, all candidate mail pieces destined for the same StatementPack™must be adjacent to each other, so that they exit the feeder/singulator10 one after another, with no other StatementPack™ candidates inbetween. Primary responsibility for meeting this constraint belongs tothe upstream culling process (again, described above) and thefeeder/singulator operator is additionally responsible for maintainingadjacency conformance while loading the hopper. The Mailing Computerwill detect and divert adjacency rule violations so that the operatorcan either correct them and return them to the feeder 10, or simplyrelease them into the regular mail stream without trying to make aStatementPack™ out of them.

As long as StatementPack™ candidates are adjacent to each other, itdoesn't matter what order they are in, nor does it matter what order theStatementPack™ candidate groups are in. The Mailing Computer willcalculate the most economically expedient manner in which to assemblecandidates and automatically configure the machine without requiring anyinput from the operator.

An operational flow diagram for the subject feeder/singulator 10 isshown in FIG. 3B. During normal operation of the subject system, theoperator O is positioned next to the feeder 10. The operator O loadsupstream-culled candidate mail pieces 101 onto the feeder 10 at theinput location. The computer controlled/interfaced rollers 102 then feedfrom the feeder/singulator base, via the gripping rollers 102, thecandidate mail pieces 101, one-at-a-time (singulated), to the outputwhich leads directly to the subsequent computer-controlled/interfacedreader 15. The operator O may follow the process on the associatedcomputer interface station 104.

Reader

The subject reader 15 is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The thickness of eachcandidate mail piece 101 exiting the feeder/singulator 10 is measured bya combination mechanical and laser displacement system 202, 203, 204,and 205. It is stressed that other equivalent means may be utilized forthe thickness measurement process. The Collating Computer (please note,all of associated computers are discussed in detail below) capturesthickness readings approximately every 1½ millimeters of travel, and thegauge is sensitive enough to discern differences smaller than a singlesheet of paper. The Collating Computer is used for this task because,unlike the Mailing Computer, it uses a time-deterministic operatingsystem, which is better suited to this type of task.

These readings give the Collating Computer the ability to virtually drawa graph of the package's thickness profile allowing, for example, anymechanical oscillations to be filtered out mathematically, or for thezero-thickness position to be reset automatically as the pinch rollers204 and 205 wear, increasing the accuracy and reliability of the finalassessment of the candidate mail piece's 101 thickness, which is thenprovided to the Mailing Computer for use in calculating Collating Plans.The Collating Computer is powerful enough to provide the candidate mailpiece's 101 thickness to the Mailing Computer by the time itsIntelligent Mail Barcode is decoded.

The length and shape of the thickness profile of each candidate mailpiece 101 further enables the Collating Computer to verify that twodocuments didn't “shingle” exiting the feeder/singulator 10, since thatcurve would have a bump in the middle where the two letters overlapped.

Finally, the high degree of accuracy of the thickness measurementenables the Mailing Computer, once the identity of the candidate isacquired (just two feet or so further downstream) to verify that noadditional candidate(s) stuck accidentally to the back of the firstcandidate, i.e. went through as a “double”.

Candidate mail pieces 101 exiting the feeder/singulator 10 next enterthe reader's gravity aligner 208. The conveyor belt 209 keeps thecandidate mail piece 101 traveling at about 150 inches per second butallows gravity to align its bottom edge with the conveyor belt 209underneath. Proper alignment is critical to downstream processes.

Using a machine vision system 210, preferably comprised of a camera 211and illuminating lamp 212, the reader section 15 then scans the sendaddress on each candidate mail piece 101 for its identifying indiciawhich is preferably the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) symbol or itsequivalent, now known or later developed. The (required) IMB indiciacontain a serial number that uniquely identifies each candidate mailpiece 101. Since the upstream culling process notifies the MailingComputer beforehand about all candidate mail pieces, the MailingComputer can use the serial number to quickly identify all relevantinformation about the mail piece: its weight, destination, maileridentity, recipient name, potential fellow StatementPack™ candidates,and expected thickness. This expected thickness is compared to thejust-measured thickness to verify package integrity.

Using this information, in combination with information aboutneighboring mail pieces, and applying various business rules and USPSregulations, the Mailing Computer calculates how the mail piece shouldbe processed by the Collation section downstream and is now an“identified” mail piece 201.

When the scan is complete the reader 15 section rotates 214 the mailpiece 201, still traveling at about 150 inches per second, so that itssend address is facing down. The mail piece is then fed into thecollator section 20, where the collation process begins. For example,the typical amount of time between completion of the scan andcommencement of collation is approximately 15 hundredths of a second.Within that space of time, the nearly 20 megabit image of the mailpiece's face must be transferred from the camera 211 to the MailingComputer, the IMB symbol identified and decoded, the relevantinformation looked up, and the collation plan calculated.

The collation plan takes into account the facts about the candidatesavailable for assembly, the weight (max. 3.5 oz.) and thickness (max. ¼inch) of the materials to be used in creating the StatementPack™, USPSrules and regulations, and finally, the physical constraints of thecollator 20.

By way of example, say the Mailing Computer is notified by the cullingprocess of two candidates, J and K, that have been sent forStatementPack™ processing because both are destined for the same mailbox(same address) on the same day. When mail piece J is identified by theMailing Computer, it is recognized as the first of what should be two;the Mailing Computer then verifies that combining the two into a singleStatementPack™, with associated inserts or other such contents, will notviolate USPS rules and regulations. Assuming all is well, it theninstructs the collator 20 to process candidate J as “first”. Assumingcandidate K is identified next, it instructs the collator 20 to processcandidate K as “second (and last)”. These “first” and “second (andlast)” instructions make up the Collation Plan for the StatementPack™containing mail pieces J and K.

By way of further example, say the Mailing Computer is notified by theculling process of seven candidates, L, M, N, O, P, Q, and R, that havebeen sent for StatementPack™ processing because they are all destinedfor the same mailbox on the same day. Say candidate M is identifiedfirst, immediately following candidate K, above. If the collator 20 isphysically constrained to a maximum of 5 candidates per StatementPack™,the Mailing Computer will expect to make at least two Packs, and send Minto the collator 20 as “first,” under the assumption that L is probablymissing. Say N and O are next identified and, passing weight andthickness tests, are sent into the collator 20 as “second” and “third.”Say P is next identified but is too thick or too heavy to fit into thesame StatementPack™ as M, N, and O. The collator 20 will then beinstructed to process previously-delivered candidate O as “last” andnext-to-arrive candidate P as “first” in the next StatementPack™. Saycandidates Q and R come next and, passing weight and thickness checks,are sent to the collator 20 as “second” and “third.” If the nextcandidate identified is L, and it passes weight and thickness checks, itcan be sent to the collator 20 as “fourth (and last)”. If, instead of L,candidate S were identified, the collator 20 could have been instructedto treat candidate R as “last”, and candidate S as “first” of the nextStatementPack™ Together these groups of instructions make up eachStatementPack's™ Collation Plan.

An exemplary operational flow diagram for the subject reader 15 is shownin FIG. 4B. Input singulated candidate mail pieces 101 are measured forthickness by a suitable means (in the FIG. 4B example: 202, 203, 204,and 205). It is stressed that the thickness determination means is ausually a mechanical, electromechanical, or light sensor device.Preferably, the thickness determination means is a laser displacementsensor apparatus 202 in which the thickness of a candidate mail piece101 is established by computer-associated analysis of the movement of alaser beam reflected off a reflective surface 203 that is mounted to ajaw-attached arm 204 that pivots as a candidate mail piece 101 passesthrough opposable mechanical jaws 204 and 205. Following the thicknessdetermination step, candidate mail pieces 101 move onto a gravityalignment belt 208 that vibrates the candidate mail pieces 101 to alignthe bottom edges before they pass into the indicia scanner 209. Theindicia scanner 209 usually comprises an image acquisition means of asuitable type, depending upon the exact type of indicia being read.Preferably, the image acquisition means 210 is a line scan camera 211and illuminating lamp 212 that, in association with specific computerprogramming, reads the indicia from the candidate mail pieces 101 andidentifies each mail piece as to exactly which mailing address/name itbelongs and into which position it will be placed in the final assembledmailing group. Each identified mail piece 201 is rotated 90° (face-down)214 and passed to the output of the reader 15.

Collator

The collator 20 is made up of two or more modules 205 of the subjecttype pictured in FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D. A computer 21 is associatedwith the collator 20 (see FIG. 1 ). A collator 20 with N modules canmake StatementPacks™ with up to N letters inside.

FIG. 5A shows an exemplary collator 20 that has five modules 205. FIG.5B shows the details of one module 205. FIG. 5C shows four collatingmodules 205 fitted together, with the two center modules 205 visible intheir entirety. Mail pieces flow through the collator 20 face down, sothat, viewed from the perspective of the drawings, only their top edgeis visible.

Each collator module 205 can capture an identified mail piece 201arriving via the conveyor belts at its upper left input by the CollatingComputer activating the module's 205 diverter 206 and stopping the mailpiece between the pinch rollers 207 of its buffering region. When,subsequently, another mail piece arrives via the lower input theCollating Computer can cause the buffer region to eject its mail pieceat just the right time so that the two mail pieces are “stacked” at themerging position and exit via the conveyor belts at the lower right. Thebuffering region accelerates and decelerates letters at the rate ofaround 17 G's (17 times the acceleration due to gravity) under thecommand of the Collating Computer.

The physical collation algorithm is perhaps most readily envisionedusing a “jump on the caboose” analogy: imagine each group of identifiedstatement pack candidates as a train of letters flowing into thecollator's 20 upper left input. The first identified mail piece 201 ineach train flows along the upper path to the right-most module, wherethe Collating Computer directs it to be diverted and captured. The nextidentified mail piece 201 is captured in the next-to-the-right-mostmodule, and so on. The last identified mail piece 201 in the train, the“caboose”, is diverted using the same logic but doesn't stop. Itcontinues onto the lower path, and as it passes through each subsequentmodule the next identified mail piece 201 in the train “jumps” on top ofit. When the stack emerges from the last module, the first identifiedmail piece 201 in the train is on top.

Since the “caboose” in every group of statement pack candidates neverstops or even slows down, no identified mail piece 201 behind a“caboose” is ever impacted by the collation process of theStatementPack™ in front of it.

As long as the rule of adjacency is adhered to, a constant stream ofidentified mail pieces 201 can flow smoothly through the collator 20,even if the gap between mail pieces 201 varies widely (above a certainminimum). This is important because it's common for the high speedletter feeder/singulator 10 of the type used on this system to createwidely variable gaps between mail pieces 201, due to the widely varyingthicknesses and weights of the mail pieces 201 themselves, as well aswear and tear on the feeder/singulator's 10 pickoff rollers 102.

In the less-common case where the gap between mail pieces 201 is toosmall or non-existent (two letters overlapping one another), those mailpieces 201 will not be diverted; instead they will continue along theupper path and be deposited in a hopper.

In cases where the rule of adjacency is broken, the Mailing Computerwill direct that mail pieces 201 be diverted by the Collating Computerfrom the lower path into a different hopper.

In both cases, the machine will continue running and operators O will beprompted to process the diverted mail pieces 201 appropriately.

Overall operational collator 20 flow diagrams appear, sequentially, inFIG. 5D in rows A, B, C, and D. Since the subject process is incontinuous motion, each row (A, B, C, and D) represents a “snapshot” ofthe subject collation process as the documents within a StatementPack™come together. FIG. 5D illustrates the basic steps in collating themultiple documents into grouped (same person and the same address)StatementPack™ mail items or “mail packs” for short. FIG. 5D row A showsthe input documents entering on the left of the collator 20. In thisexample, row A shows that for StatementPack™ “A” (referred to as the “A”group or “A” pack and likewise the “B” group or “B” pack, etc.) the lastdocument/letter of the “A” group/pack has been diverted to the lower apair of belts while the 1^(st) document/letter of the “A” group/pack isbeing diverted to fit over the last document/letter of the “A”group/pack (the “A” group/pack has only two total documents/letters).Behind the “A” group/pack is the 1^(st) document/letter of the “B”group/pack (the “B” group/pack has only one page), a questionabledocument, the 1^(st) document/letter of the “C” group/pack, the 2^(nd)document/letter of the “C” group/pack, and the last document/letter ofthe “C” group/pack. All of the groups/packs are progressing to theoutput path on the right of the figure. Row B shows that the 1^(st)document/letter of the “A” group/pack is now on top of the lastdocument/letter of the “A” group/pack and all of the otherdocuments/letters have advanced towards the output, with the 1^(st)document/letter of the “D” group/pack now entering on the far left. RowC shows the subject process at a later stage in the collation schemewith the “A” group/pack assembled StatementPack™ 401 (thus, generalizedmailing groups/packs 401 are generated, wherein each mailing group/pack401 contains identified mail pieces (letters/documents/etc.) that all goto the same recipient address) at the output, the 1^(st) document/letterof the “B” group/pack held in the lower divert, the questionabledocument entering the upper divert, the 1^(st), 2^(nd), and lastdocuments/letters of the “C” group/packs coming together on the lowertrack of belts, and 1^(st), 2^(nd), 3^(rd), 4^(th) documents/letters ofthe “D” group/pack continuing in the collator 20. Row D shows a laterpoint in the collation process in which the “C” group/pack assembledStatementPack™ 401 is now exiting at the output, the “D” group/pack isin collation, and the “E” and “F” groups/packs are entering the subjectcollator 20 for processing. The upper divert contains the questionabledocument and the lower divert contains the 1^(st) document/letter of the“B” group/pack that is awaiting further documents/letters, and both willbe handled by the machine operator O in a suitable fashion for theirmailing.

Buffer

Stacks of collated, but unwrapped, StatementPacks™/groups/packs 401emerge from the collator 20 at speeds of approximately 150 inches persecond, but with highly irregular spacing due to the varying numbers ofidentified mail pieces 201 in each mail group/pack/stack 401. A bufferassociated computer 26 is seen in FIG. 1 . Before thegroups/packs/stacks 401 can be transferred onto the containerizer/wrapinserter base or track 705 (as seen in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B) (belt,chain, or equivalent structure) of the containerizer/wrap inserter 30(FIG. 1 ) they must be slowed down to match the speed of thecontainerizer/wrap inserter track 705 and the associated track receivingslots 706 (as seen in FIG. 8B) that are normally spaced at approximately13.5 inch intervals, and synchronized with the track's 705 relativeposition so that the mail groups/pack/stacks 401 fit properly betweenthe mechanical fingers 707 in the track 705. These timing tasks are theresponsibility of the Buffering Computer and buffer 25.

If the subject StatementPack™ System were making single-page or allequal-page identified mail piece packs it would run at a nearly constantspeed. But, since it is making multi-page mail packs 401, synchronizingis challenging because of the widely varying speed of the containerizertrack 705 as it tries to match the average rate at whichgroups/packs/stacks 401 are emerging from the collator 20. FIG. 6Eillustrates what that average rate might look like for a simulated batchof 300 StatementPacks™ 401 (identified mail groups/packs/stacks ofletters/documents/etc.) containing between two and five (or more)identified mail pieces 201 each.

The buffer's 25 other job is to catch and hold groups/packs/stacks 401emerging from the collator 20 when the containerizer/wrap inserter base705 stops suddenly, for example when there is a jam. Of course when suchan event occurs the feeder/singulator 10 will be stopped by the MailingComputer as quickly as possible, but all the material flowing throughthe collator 20 and the buffer 25 must be brought to a controlled stop(and subsequent restart) by the Buffering Computer so that no operator Ointervention will be necessary, except for at the location of theoriginal jam event.

One of the biggest challenges for the buffer 25 is moving around packs401 of identified mail pieces without dropping any of them or evendisturbing the physical integrity of the packs 401. It is important tokeep the packs 401 neat so that they do not jam going into themechanical slots 706 in the track of the wrap inserter 30.

To accomplish these objectives the buffer 25 consists of a series ofidentical belt drive sub-assemblies 503 as seen in FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and6D. Each set of upper 510 and lower 515 belts (seen in FIGS. 6B and 6C)can reliably grip a pack of identified mail pieces 401 of any thicknessmeeting USPS folded mail guidelines. The sub-assemblies 503 are spacedclose enough together that packs of identified mail pieces 401 are heldsecurely as they are passed from one set of belts 510 and 515 to anothersubsequent set of belts 510 and 515 further along the buffer 25, towardsthe output end. Each sub-assembly's upper 510 and lower 515 belts aredriven by independent motors so that acceleration forces applied to thetops and bottoms of the packs 401 are roughly equal. The motors for eachpair of upper 510 and lower 515 belts are electronically geared togetherby the Buffering Computer so that they move as if on a single axis. Theinput section of each sub-assembly 503 features a wide V-shaped beltdriven path 516 to draw packs 401 in without compromising the alignmentof the individual identified mail pieces. The belts 510 and 515 of eachsub-assembly 503 are physically independent of the belts on neighboringsub-assemblies 503, so that they can be moved independently whennecessary without any physical conflict.

The entire buffer module 25, long enough to hold at least sixgroups/packs/stacks 401 of StatementPacks™, is depicted in FIGS. 6A and6D (with entry means 520 from the collator 20 and exit means 525 to thecontainerizer/wrap inserter 30 shown). For FIGS. 6A and 6D, at the leftend of the subject buffer 25, conveyor belts are seen that bring packs401 to the buffer 25 from the collator 20. Unless the subject machine isstarting or stopping, these left-most conveyor belts 521 and 522 alwaysmove at a constant speed of about 150 inches per second (or otherdesired speed). At the right end are conveyor belts 526 and 527 (seeFIG. 6D) for carrying the packs 401 into the track 705 of thecontainerizer/wrap inserter 30. The Buffering Computer ensures thatthese right-most conveyor belts 526 and 527 always move at the samespeed as the containerizer/wrap inserter track 705, which of course canbe as low as zero but is commonly between 50 and 80 inches per second.From the speed simulation graph seen in FIG. 6E, it should be apparentthat most of the time, without the buffer 25 the speed of thecontainerizer/wrap inserter 30 would be either accelerating ordecelerating, but the Buffering Computer hunts constantly for the basespeed that will prevent the buffer 25 from over- or under-filling thecontainerizer/wrap inserter 30.

Each belt-driven buffer sub-assembly 503 can move as if on its ownintelligent axis, completely independently of its neighbors, butimportantly, each sub-assembly 503 also has the ability, under thecommand of the Buffering Computer, to logically connect itself to adifferent axis through the use of electronic gearing. This makes itpossible for one set of belts 510 and 515 to copy another axis's motion,as though they were physically connected together with actual gears ortiming belts.

To demonstrate the utility of this feature, consider a particular momentin time when one end of a pack 401 is pinched between the belts 510 and515 of the last, or right-most, buffer sub-assembly 401 on the buffer25, and the other end by the conveyor belts 526 and 527 of the transfermeans 525 that will carry it into the track 705 of thecontainerizer/wrap inserter 30. As stated before, these conveyor belts526 and 527 always move at the same speed as the containerizer/wrapinserter track 705, which is anywhere between zero and 80 inches persecond and is usually accelerating or decelerating. If the lastbuffering sub-assembly 503 were not nearly or exactly matching thismotion, the pack 401 would be pulled apart or mashed together. By theBuffering Computer electronically gearing the axis for these pinchrollers to the motion of the containerizer/wrap inserter track 705, suchmotion mismatch is prevented, even if the containerizer/wrap insertertrack 705 does something unexpected.

Each axis also has the ability to be electronically geared by theBuffering Computer to a virtual axis, a purely theoretical motion thatcan serve as master to one or more slave axes even though no individualmotor or shaft encoder is carrying out the actual master motion profile.

Finally, each axis has the ability to engage or disengage electronicgearing very quickly under the command of the Buffering Computer. Thisenables coordinated, sequential, multi-axis motion, for example in thecase of a bucket brigade, where adjacent physical axes that are handlingthe same pack 401 make use of electronic gearing, but the moment theupstream set of belts releases the stack, the Buffering Computer candirect that the two axes go their separate ways again.

When packs 401 arrive from the collator 20, the buffer 25 keeps themmoving to the right at about 150 inches per second (or any outersuitable set speed) until there's no more room, at which time the packs401 are decelerated to match the speed of the containerizer/wrapinserter track 705 and their position-adjusted to the proper phase angleof the containerizer/wrap inserter track 705. These motions are executedusing electronic gearing commands with both real and virtual masteraxes, so that the buffering process remains under control of theBuffering Computer even if an unexpected event, such as an inserter 30jam, occurs. Once each pack 401 is both speed- andposition-synchronized, the axes holding the pack 401 are slaved to thebase by the Buffering Computer until the pack 401 is released. Theaccelerations and decelerations are limited to about 6 G's to reduce thechance that packs 401 slip from the buffer's 25 grip.

When the buffer 25 is full, nearly all of its axes will be slaved to thecontainerizer/wrap inserter track 705. This ensures that no matter whatmotion the containerizer/wrap inserter 30 carries out, even if it isjogged by the operator O in a very rapid, stop/start, unpredictable way,all of the buffer's 25 contents will be deposited neatly into the track705 of the containerizer/wrap inserter 30.

A summary operational flow diagram for the subject buffer 25 is shown inFIG. 6F. Each assembled, variable page-count, but un-wrapped,StatementPack™ or pack 401 enters the buffer 25 at the input point 520from the collator 20 (far left edge of FIG. 6F). The variabledocument/letter-count StatementPacks™ 401 move betweencomputer-controlled lower 510 and upper 515 belt pairs. The generalpurpose of the buffer 25 is to regulate the transport speed at whicheach variable page-count pack 410 is moving to facilitate entry, via theoutput means 525, into the containerizer/wrap inserter 30 at arelatively constant rate. Various exemplary transport speeds for packs401 are noted in FIG. 6F, as are comments concerning operationalparameters.

Printer

For exemplary purposes only, and not by way of limitation, a printer isincluded in the illustrated embodiments of the subject invention. It isstressed that the subject assembly system does not have to include aprinter for placing images on the mailing container/envelope/wrapperinto which each pack 401 is inserted for mailing, however, one preferredhigh-speed embodiment does include a printer 40 and associated computer41, as seen in FIG. 1 (and in detail in FIGS. 7A-7D), that printsimages, including mailing addresses, on a continuous stream of paperthat subsequently forms an individual mail wrapper around each pack 401of identified mail pieces and desired inserts. Other embodiments of thesubject system may utilize traditional envelopes printed on demand foreach pack 401 by an included printer, pre-addressed traditionalenvelopes having desired images, traditional envelopes that have atransparent window that permits a recipient's address on an internaldocument to show through, and equivalent means. Thus, as indicated, thesubject system describe herein utilizes a printer 40 for printingrecipient addresses and desired images on mailing wrappers that encloseeach pack 401 and any desired mail inserts.

Every time the subject Mailing Computer decides that a particularidentified mail piece 201 will be “last” in a pack 401, it informs thePrinting Computer of the identities of all the identified mail pieces201 that will make up the associated pack 401. This allows the PrintingComputer to begin preparing all the information necessary to compose theimage to be printed on the outside of each mailed container/wrapper.Typically printed information includes graphical information, such ascompany logos and marketing artwork; personal information, such asrecipient destination addresses, recipient names, and USPS-compliantsymbols and notations.

Image composition needs to be completed by the Printing Computer and theprint head 610 made ready prior to the moment when the correspondingform on the container/wrap envelope material (usually a paper webdelivered from a roll of paper 42) physically passes under the printhead 610. Due to the physical constraints of the equipment layout in thesubject StatementPack™ System, the print head's 610 location is nearly20 documents upstream of the physical point at which thecontainer/wrapper and its corresponding contents come together.

The position of the corresponding pack 401 that is 20 documents upstreamalong the containerizer/wrap inserter's track 705 is very near the pointat which the buffer 25 and containerizer/wrap inserter 30 meet. Thus,the total composition time available may be as little as the transittime through the buffer 25, or well under one second.

In addition, the rate at which successive compositions are completedmust be at least as high as the maximum speed of the machine, which isaround one document about every 180 milliseconds. To attain thesecomposition speeds for letter-sized, four color (CMYK) images at adensity of 300 by 600 dots per inch using COTS computing equipmentrequires multiple CPUs and pipelined software to enable the CPUs to worksimultaneously.

The subject invention's Printing Computer uses both these means pluspipeline modifications that allow initial stages to be launched earlierby postponing momentarily-uncertain tasks to later stages. For example,when the “first” candidate of a StatementPack™ is identified,composition of the graphical template for that envelope can commence,even though the list of recipient names is not yet complete, because thegraphical template doesn't depend on those additional names. By the timethe “last” candidate is identified, that last recipient name could, intheory, be the only part of the image left to be composed, allowing thelast stage to complete very quickly.

Once the entire image is composed by the Printing Computer andtransferred to the print head 610, the ink deposition process can begin.FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C depict the mechanical system for depositing ink ontopaper. The paper web has been removed for visibility. The paper webenters at the lower right 605 from a paper roll delivery station 42,crosses the web aligner 607 which orients the web properly from side toside, then passes under the print head or heads 610, the shaft encoder611, and finally the dryer 615, after which it exits the print stand616, glue applied by a glue dispenser 621, thus becoming paper web 620(seen in FIGS. 8A and 8B), and enters the containerizer/wrap inserter 30to merge with packs 401 on the track 705 at the wrapping point 505 (seenin FIGS. 8A and 8B).

In a sense, all the print head 610 does by itself is shoot ink, like asquirt gun with perhaps 10,000 nozzles. It is up to the subjectapplication to 1) present the paper substrate accurately and 2) provideelectronic tachometer pulses that accurately represent the motion of thepaper. Only if these two tasks are accomplished adequately does theprint head 610 have any chance of producing acceptable quality images.

Controls built into the print head 610 are responsible for properlycorrelating each individual pixel from input image bitmaps with specificjetter nozzles and tachometer pulses.

Paper Substrate Presentation

The print head's jetter array spans a flat rectangular areaapproximately 4.25″×8.5″ in the exemplary case (other array sized areconsidered to be within the realm of this invention). Each image,therefore, is assembled gradually over the course of more than eightinches of paper travel. In order for the image quality to be acceptablethe paper has to be:

1. Very close to the array, because the microscopic droplets emitted bythe jetters slow down and drift off course after more than about 1 mm oftravel through the air, and

2. Parallel to the array, so that the droplets emitted by the 10,000 orso jetters all strike the paper after the same amount of travel timethrough the air.

Of these two challenges, the parallelism requirement is the mostdifficult. The print head's documentation (from a typical supplier)states clearly that “The accuracy with which the surface to be printedmoves under the head determines the quality of the result.” The reasonis a paper web drawn taught in space tends to have ripples in it. Thispage rippling would make the printed images have ripples too.

In the case of a 1-dimensional jetter array such as on a Kodak 9100print head, the paper is drawn taught over the crown of a roller that isheld in a fixed mechanical position parallel to the jetter array. Theapproximate 7° entering vs. exiting angle of the paper keeps a small arcof the paper's length held fast against the roller's surface. This keepsthe paper parallel to the jetters but only in that single dimension. Inthe case of a 2-dimensional jetter array like the one on the subjectStatementPack™ printer 40 a different mechanical solution is required.

Various possible solutions to this problem were evaluated. The selectedsolution proved to work quite well. The solution is referred to it asthe vacuum platen 617 which is depicted in FIG. 7B and enlarged in FIG.7C. As seen in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the vacuum platen 617 sets up a slightvacuum behind a smooth metal platen/plate 617 with a 2-dimensional arrayof through-holes in it. Ambient air pressure then presses the paper flatagainst the plate while it moves under the jetter array of the head 610.The vacuum forces are strong enough to overcome the paper's ripplingforces but not strong enough to otherwise interfere with paper travel.With the paper held fast against the platen/plate 617, covering all theholes, the air flow through the platen/plate 617 is negligible, whichhelps to keep the air space between the jetter array and the paperrelatively quiet. This aids in producing smooth, predictable flow of inkdrops across the airspace between the jetter array and the paper.

Tachometer Signal Presentation

Conventional 1-dimensional array ink jet print heads require onetachometer pulse per dot (i.e. a 300 dot-per-inch resolution requiresone tachometer pulse every 300^(th) of an inch). Printinghorizontally-aligned pixels is easily accomplished simply by firingmultiple jetter modules simultaneously.

In contrast, the subject system's 2-dimensional array print head 610requires as many as 25,400 pulses per inch. This is because of thediagonal alignment of the jetter nozzles, which makes it possible toprint horizontal pixels very close together, but at the cost ofrequiring any two adjacent horizontal pixels to be printed at differenttimes.

It is more accurate to say that to print two adjacent pixels usingneighboring diagonal nozzles it is necessary for the droplets that willform them to be shot from their respective nozzles at two differentpositions of the web. Visualizing the paper traveling vertically, inorder for the second pixel to appear right beside the first, the printhead must be able to resolve distances much smaller than the about1/300^(th) or 1/600^(th) inch nominal spacing between pixels. It must bea small fraction of the nominal pixel-to-pixel dimension so that slightvariances in horizontal alignment can be adjusted out.

The subject system's solution offers a resolution of about 1/45^(th) of1/600^(th) of an inch. This provides the print head 610 with sufficientresolution to produce acceptable quality images on bond paper.

Tachometer Signal Conditioning

Printing for the containerizer/wrap inserter application requires theprint head 610 to produce good images even under stop/start conditions,such as when the operator O is “jogging” the machine. This iscomplicated by the fact that when the paper stops, or appears to bestopped, it actually may oscillate back and forth due to tiny mechanicalvibrations. These motions are picked up by the super-sensitive shaftencoder 611 and converted into tachometer pulses that accurately reflectthe oscillatory motion.

Since the print head 610 cannot distinguish forward motion from backwardmotion, images printed under these conditions would be ruined. Toprevent this, the tachometer pulses have to be filtered before beingsent to the print head 610.

The subject printer module 40 uses a hard-wired circuit to detecttachometer pulses indicative of reverse motion, or forward motion overalready-printed area, and suppress them. This ensures the print head'stachometer circuitry receives only pulses representing new forwardprogress, ensuring that jetter nozzles passing over each target pixelposition are fired one and only one time.

While the filtering calculations ensure image quality for low-speed,stop/start events, they must also be fast enough not to interfere withimage quality during high speed printing, when tachometer pulses occurwell over one million times per second. The subject printer module 40uses an FPGA, a type of integrated circuit, so that all the filteringcalculations can be carried out in real time on a single chip. Thisresults in negligible tachometer pulse delay even under the mostdemanding circumstances.

FIG. 7D shows an operational diagram for the printer 40 that isinterfaced with the paper delivery means 42. A roll or web paper 618 isfed by a standard unwinding apparatus into the printer 40 via the webaligner 607 which is a series of rollers that straighten the incomingweb. A cue mark sensor 619 helps match the printing to the web location.A shaft encoder 611 helps track the operation of the printer 40. The webtravels between the print head 610 and the vacuum platen 617 whichstabilizes the web for printing. One or more dryers 615 then dry theprinted web 620 before the web 620 moves on to the containerizer/wrapper30.

Containerizing/Packaging/Finishing

The remaining subject StatementPack™ assembly steps or the “finishing,”i.e. containerizing/wrapping/packaging, gluing, cutting, andoutstacking, are now described and shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. The“inside-outside match verify” is now described first (it is noted thatall of the finishing processes are overseen by the Finishing Computer).

FIG. 8A shows the containerizer/wrap inserter 30 of the subjectinvention. It is noted that only the first and last inserter dispensers720 are shown in FIG. 8A, however there may be up to 25 insertdispensers 720 or more. The complete subject containerizer/wrap inserter30 is best viewed by referring to FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B in combination.Beneath the deck of the containerizer/wrap inserter track 705 and justupstream of the physical point at which the wrapper form and itscorresponding contents come together 505 is a line scan camera 710 andlamp 711 that, through a glass plate, captures an image of the face ofeach document/letter on the bottom of each pack/stack 401. This is thewhole reason the packs 401 were turned face down prior to commencementof the collation process. Analysis of the image by the FinishingComputer reveals the IMB and consequently the serial number of the mailpiece 201, enabling the Finishing Computer to verify that it is the oneit is supposed to be. Any mismatch invalidates the entire pack 401 andleads the Finishing Computer to divert the pack 401 and interact withthe operator O to rectify the situation.

Just downstream of the physical point at which the wrapper web form andits corresponding contents come together 505 is another beneath-the-deckbarcode reader comprising a line scan camera 715 and lamp 716. Throughanother piece of glass it captures an image of the face of the outsideof the wrapped pack 501, allowing the control system to read the barcodelaid down there by the Printing Computer, once again to confirm that itis the one it is supposed to be. Any mismatch invalidates the entirewrapped pack 501 and diverts it as above.

Finally, when completed wrapped packs 501 that have passed all thesetests reach the outstacker 45, the barcode on the face of the outside ofthe wrapped pack 501 is read one last time, as a triple-check, to ensurethat once again, it is the one it is supposed to be. Any mismatchinvalidates the entire pack 501. This triple-check system, controlled bythe Finishing Computer, has proven faultless in over two years of liveproduction at preventing inside-outside mismatches from entering themail stream. This track record establishes the confidence to allow mailpieces and desired inserts to be delivered to an address printed on theoutside of the wrapper/package, rather than simply the one viewablethrough the window of a send envelope for each mail piece.

It is this transparent viewing window that, for decades, has protectedmailers from having important transactional documents delivered to thewrong recipient. One of the biggest risks of the entire StatementPack™concept is abandoning the security of the send envelope window. This iswhy the triple-check is essential for the subject printed wrappersystem.

An operational flow diagram is seen in FIG. 8B for the subjectcontainerizer/wrap inserter 30. An associated computer 31 (seen in FIG.1 ), interfaced with the other system computers, controls thecontainerizer/wrap inserter 30. The term “containerizer” is utilizedsince the each mail pack 401 is placed into a mailing “container” orwrapper by this device. Mail packs 401 enter the containerized/wrapinserter 30 from the left, usually delivered from the buffer 25 that hasmatched the delivery speed of the mail packs 401 to thecontainerizer/wrapper belt 705. Each pack 410 fits between retainingfingers 707 within a receiving space 706 on the belt 705. The packs 401are transported under a plurality of insert dispensers 720 that may bepurchased from various suppliers and adapted to the subject system orfabricated. The insert dispensers 720 contain inserts that may be addedto any one of the packs 401 as it passes below the dispensers 720. Thedesired insert addition process is regulated by the associated computercontroller.

Desired inserts now rest on top of the identified mail pieces withineach pack 401 forming a stack of mailable items 500. The stack ofmailable items 500 is verified by the line scan camera 710 andassociated programming. The final mailable package 501 is then formed bybeing containerized 505 in a mailing wrapper by the incoming stream ofaddressed web paper 620 from the printer 40 and, after applying glue 621and wrapping around the items to be mailed 505, the addressed web cut725 into the individual mailable packages 501. Each wrapped orcontainerized mailable package 501 is scanned again by the next camera715 to verify no errors have occurred. If an error occurs the incorrectmailable package is diverted into a hopper(s) 730 for processing by theoperator O. The containerized mailable packages 501 are then transportedto the outstacker 45 for further processing.

The outstacker 45 and its controlling computer 46 are seen in FIG. 1 andin FIGS. 9A and 9B. FIG. 9A shows where the input mailable packages 501come in from the containerizer/wrap inserter 30 at a receiving transportset of belts 800 and exit onto a final receiving deck 825.

FIG. 9B depicts an operational flow diagram of the subject outstacker45. Mailable packages 501 enter the outstacker at the left in FIG. 9Band into a receiving transport set of belts 800. The transport speed ofthe received mailable packages 501 is then increased 805 and eachmailable package is rotated 90 degrees 810 so that the face of eachmailable package 501 may have its identifying indicia read by a bar codereader 815 (or equivalent device) to once again check for errors.Transport belts 820 move the mailable packages 501 to a final receivingdeck 825. The mailable packages 501 are then forwarded by an operator Oor automatically to subsequent equipment for mailing.

Computer Control System

FIGS. 10A through FIG. 15B show the flow diagrams for the five computersthat share primary responsibility for controlling the mechanicalcomponents of the subject invention and interacting with the operator(s)O to maximize throughput and profitability of producing mailablepackages that are mailed to recipient addresses, wherein each containsmailable package holds a plurality of identified mail pieces and desiredinserts. It is noted that auxiliary computing devices handle routinetasks under command of the primary controllers, but those roles are onlyincidental to the subject invention.

The five computers are: 1) Mailing Computer 900; 2) Collating Computer915; 3) Buffering Computer 930; 4) Printing Computer 945; and 5)Finishing Compute 960. The interacting and interfaced roles of each aredepicted in FIGS. 10A and 10B. As shown, the five main computers 900,915, 930, 945, and 960 are interconnected by standard means. As inindicated in FIGS. 10A and 10B various databases 901 946, and 961, linescan cameras 710 and 715, bar code readers 905 and 906, sensors 907,print head(s) 610, paper handler/dryer 615, and motors 919 and 934 areoperated by the system-associated computers 900, 915, 930, 945, and 960and auxiliary controllers 920, 952, and 953. Also, usually feeder,service, and outstacker operators O interact with the system viacomputer monitor stations 904, 949, and 964.

It is stressed that various standard controlling messages, operations,and interfacing procedures are noted on the computer flow diagrams shownin FIGS. 10A through FIG. 15B which are not, for the sake of clarity,repeated in the following discussion. FIGS. 10A through FIG. 15B outlinethe interconnective nature of the computers controlling the subjectcomponents and their operation.

The subject Mailing Computer 900 (seen in FIGS. 11A and 11B in detail)monitors the factory's message bus, which is part of the ITinfrastructure of the facility and external to the machine. When theupstream culling process (described above) commits candidate mail piecesto be sent for StatementPack™ processing, a message is generatedannouncing that fact and providing necessary processing information. Themessages are typically generated several hours before the correspondingmail pieces physically arrive at a machine for processing. Theinformation is stored locally in the Mailing Computer's candidatedatabase 901 until it is needed. When it is no longer needed it isdiscarded. All StatementPack™ systems in a single facility acquire allcandidate information so that candidates can be processed on anymachine.

The Mailing Computer 900 interacts with the feeder operator O tocommence processing. Its commands initiate the flow of mail piecesthrough the subject system. A mechanical gauge measures each mailpiece's thickness and sends it (via the Collating Computer 915) to theMailing Computer 900, and a camera 905 photographs each mail piece'sface and sends the image to the Mailing Computer 900, where softwaredecodes the Intelligent Mail Barcode printed on each mail piece (orvisible through each mail piece's envelope window, if this alternatemethod is utilized), then looks up the corresponding information in theCandidate Database 901. This information is used, in combination withthat of neighboring mail pieces and various business rules, to generateCollating Plans for the Collating Computer 915 and Printing Plans forthe Printing Computer 945. The Mailing Computer 900 is powerful enoughto carry out these tasks and transmit plans in time for the collatingmodule 20 and printing module 40 to ready them before the correspondingmaterial arrives.

The Collating Computer 915 (seen in FIGS. 15A and 15B in detail)activates the conveyor belts, divert gates, and buffer 25 components asnecessary to execute the Mailing Computer's 900 Collating Plans as thecorresponding mail pieces flow through the collator 20 module. Opticalsensors spread throughout the module enable the Collating Computer 915to track each mail piece's progress and accurately synchronizemechanical actions with each mail piece's position, as well as quicklydetect exception events such as jams. The Collating Computer 915 ispowerful enough to be able to make decisions approximately every1/16^(th) inch of mail piece travel. The results of collation activityare presented to the Buffering Computer 930 in time for the buffermodule 25 to ready itself before the corresponding mail pieces arrive.

The Buffering Computer 930 (seen in FIGS. 14A and 14B in detail)activates the conveyor components of the buffer module 25 and directsthe speed of the wrap inserter module 30 to synchronize the flow ofcollated packs of identified mail pieces 401 into the wrap insertertrack/base 705. Optical sensors spread throughout the module enable theBuffering Computer to track each mail piece's progress and accuratelysynchronize mechanical actions with each mail piece's position, as wellas quickly detect exception events such as jams. The Buffering Computer930 closely monitors the speed and position of the wrap insertertrack/base 705. The Buffering Computer 930 is powerful enough to be ableto make decisions approximately every 1/16^(th) inch of mail piece andwrap inserter track/base 705 travel. The results of buffering activityare presented to the Finishing Computer 960 in time for the wrapinserter module 30 to ready itself before the corresponding mail piecesarrive.

The Printing Computer 945 (seen in FIGS. 13A and 13B in detail) composesimages in accordance with the Printing Plans delivered by the MailingComputer 900 and the technical specifications of the printing module 40.It also oversees routine maintenance of the print head 610, activatingas necessary its jetter module cleaning and protection systems andensuring that the operator O is hailed when necessary for services suchas ink refills. The Printing Computer 945 is powerful enough to supplycompliant images to the print head 610 before the corresponding wrapenvelope material arrives at the printing station 40, and to keep upwith the machine when it is operating at top speed. The PrintingComputer 945 also ensures that each wrap/envelope's printed imageincludes a machine readable indicium/symbol uniquely identifying it. Theresults of printing activity are presented to the Finishing Computer 960in time for the wrap inserter module 30 to ready itself before thecorresponding envelopes arrive.

The Finishing Computer 960 (seen in FIGS. 12A and 12B in detail)oversees the flow of packs 401 coming down the wrap inserter track/base705 from the buffer module 25, the flow of wrap envelope material comingfrom the printing module 40, the coming together of the two materialstreams, and the flow of resulting material, both successfully assembledStatementPacks™ and otherwise, into divert bins and onto the outstackermodule 45. Part of the task of overseeing the flow of packs 401 comingdown the wrap inserter track/base 705 includes placing desired insertson top of the packs 401, thereby generating packs with desired inserts500, by activating the insert hoppers 720 along the upstream half of themodule. Just before the packs with desired inserts 500 are wrappedinside the addressed wrap/envelope material, a camera 710 photographsthe face of the identified mail piece on the bottom of the pack 500 andpresents the image to the Finishing Computer 960, where the mail piece'sIntelligent Mail Barcode is once again decoded. This is compared to thesymbol placed on the corresponding wrap/envelope by the PrintingComputer 945 to ensure a proper match. The Finishing Computer 960interacts with the outstacker operator O, a handheld bar code reader905, and a final automated bar code reader 906 integrated into theoutstacker module 45 to ensure that every StatementPack™ is accuratelyaccounted for, both successfully assembled packs and otherwise. Onceresults are final the Finishing Computer 960 transmits such informationvia the factory's message bus so that the appropriate monitoring systemsand downstream processing components are ready to meet theirobligations.

Embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference toequations, algorithms, and/or flowchart illustrations of methodsaccording to embodiments of the invention. These methods may beimplemented using computer program instructions executable on acomputer. These methods may also be implemented as computer programproducts either separately, or as a component of an apparatus or system.In this regard, each equation, algorithm, or block or step of aflowchart, and combinations thereof, may be implemented by variousmeans, such as hardware, firmware, and/or software including one or morecomputer program instructions embodied in computer-readable program codelogic. As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructionsmay be loaded onto a computer, including without limitation a generalpurpose computer or special purpose computer, or other programmableprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the computerprogram instructions which execute on the computer or other programmableprocessing apparatus create means for implementing the functionsspecified in the equation(s), algorithm(s), and/or flowchart(s).

Accordingly, the equations, algorithms, and /or flowcharts supportcombinations of means for performing the specified functions,combinations of steps for performing the specified functions, andcomputer program instructions, such as embodied in computer-readableprogram code logic means, for performing the specified functions. Itwill also be understood that each equation, algorithm, and/or block inflowchart illustrations, and combinations thereof, may be implemented byspecial purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform thespecified functions or steps, or combinations of special purposehardware and computer-readable program code logic means.

Furthermore, these computer program instructions, such as embodied incomputer-readable program code logic, may also be stored in a computerreadable memory that can direct a computer or other programmableprocessing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that theinstructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an articleof manufacture including instruction means which implement the functionspecified in the block(s) of the flowchart(s). The computer programinstructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmableprocessing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to beperformed on the computer or other programmable processing apparatus toproduce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions whichexecute on the computer or other programmable processing apparatusprovide steps for implementing the functions specified in theequation(s), algorithm(s), and/or block(s) of the flowchart(s).

Although the description above contains many details, these should notbe construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merelyproviding illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodimentsof this invention. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope ofthe present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which maybecome obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of thepresent invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than theappended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is notintended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, butrather “one or more.” All structural, chemical, and functionalequivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodimentthat are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or methodto address each and every problem sought to be solved by the presentinvention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore,no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure isintended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether theelement, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims.No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recitedusing the phrase “means for.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A mail piece assembly comprising: at least onemachine configured for collating a plurality of an identified mail pieceinto at least one mailing pack; and at least one machine configured forfinalizing each at least one mailing pack by containerizing each mailingpack into at least one compliant mailing container that displays arespective recipient's address.